A 26-year-old Central Florida man was convicted of bringing a loaded firearm into the Tampa International Airport terminal. This was the second time he brought a firearm into a Florida airport. His first incident occurred in Miami in late 2020.
U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced 26-year-old Abraham Othman Yacoub of Lakeland to three years and six months in a federal prison for violating airport security regulations and attempted possession of a dangerous weapon on board an aircraft.
According to court documents, Yacoub arrived at Tampa International Airport on August 4, 2023, to board a flight to Las Vegas, Nevada. Yacoub entered the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening line and placed his backpack, shoes, and other personal items in a TSA bin before going through TSA screening.
The Hillsborough County Aviation Authority’s rules and regulations for Tampa International Airport state that “no person, other than those legally authorized to do so, shall carry a firearm or concealed weapon in the passenger terminal and sterile areas of the airport…” In addition, “Firearms Prohibited” signs are prominently posted at the entrance to each security checkpoint.
The TSA electronically searched Yacoub’s belongings using an X-ray machine and discovered a firearm in Yacoub’s bag. While the TSA agents attempted to locate the bag containing the firearm, Yacoub retrieved his bag from the conveyor belt and walked to the nearest men’s restroom. Once there, Yacoub removed the firearm from his backpack, wrapped it in toilet paper, and hid it in a trash can.
A short time later, Yacoub left the men’s restroom and returned to the TSA screening area, still carrying his backpack, where he was met by a TSA agent. The TSA agents searched Yacoub’s backpack again and questioned Yacoub, who lied to the TSA agents and told them he did not bring a firearm into the airport. The airport terminal had to be evacuated of passengers and numerous flights were delayed.
The Tampa Airport Police Department (TPA PD) went to the screening area, questioned Yacoub, and searched the men’s restroom that Yacoub had entered. In a trash can in the bathroom, TSA and TPA PD officers found a black firearm partially wrapped in toilet paper. A magazine contained 14 nine-millimeter rounds.
Yacoub agreed to confiscate the Glock 19 seized on August 4, 2023, and various ammunition attributable to the proceeds of the crime.
This is the second time Yacoub has brought a firearm into a Florida airport. In late 2020, Yacoub brought a firearm into the TSA-secured area of a Miami-Dade County airport. Yacoub pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed firearm for this offense on August 19, 2021.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Transportation Security Administration, and the Tampa International Airport Police Department. United States Attorney Karyna Valdes prosecuted the case. Yacoub pleaded guilty on April 10, 2024.
